The valve of the present invention is employed to fill bottles regardless of their form or size, with no need to form a leak-proof seal with them, so much so that the lack of rigidity or the relative imperfection of the bottle is no obstacle to the correct and rapid filling of the bottle. The valve according to the invention, does not work by vacuum, but it acts with pressure on the liquid, for which reason the viscosity of the liquid does not constitute any problem in the bottling, contrary to what happens with the conventional vacuum or gravity filling valves, in which these factors are critical.
The valve embodying the improvements of the invention is related to valves of the type containing a pneumatic part and a mechanical part, the valve construction being such that the two parts are mounted in a single assembly, in a simplified form, with the additional advantage that both parts are perfectly aligned, thereby economizing in space and improving the performance, with the constructional characteristic that in the mechanical part the substitution of a liquid channel member (fine tube) and the air nozzle is easily carried out in cases where it is necessary to increase or decrease the size of these parts in accordance with the different diameters of the necks of the bottles to be filled.
The improvements include additionally, means for closing the liquid flow when not required. The outlet of liquid in the valve is made through no more than two openings, thereby avoiding the production of scum, contrary to what happens with certain conventional valves in which the liquid leaves through various small orifices in the form of several small jets.
In the valve in accordance with the invention, the pneumatic cylinder which opens and closes the nozzles is of dual-action type, thereby obtaining greater speed in the response to the stimulus as compared with conventional valves whose cylinders are of single action type.
In the valve according to the invention the desired liquid level inside the bottle is not obtained by suction or by sealing and it operates without establishing contact with the leakproof seal. Instead the liquid level is obtained by using a so-called pneumatic "probe" which detects the presence of the liquid when it reaches a chosen level.